In today's wireless communication systems a number of different technologies are used, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Global System for Mobile communications/Enhanced Data rate for GSM Evolution (GSM/EDGE), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), or Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), just to mention a few possible implementations. A wireless communication system comprises base stations providing radio coverage over at least one respective geographical area forming a cell. The cell definition may also incorporate frequency bands used for transmissions, which means that two different cells may cover the same geographical area but using different frequency bands. Mobile terminals are served in the cells by the respective base station and are communicating with respective base station. The mobile terminals transmit data over an air or radio interface to the base stations in uplink (UL) transmissions and the base stations transmit data over an air or radio interface to the mobile terminals in downlink (DL) transmissions.
Release 6 of the third generation partnership project (3GPP) standards introduced Enhanced Uplink (E-UL), also known as High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA). Compared to previous releases E-UL improved performance of uplink communications—those from a mobile terminal, i.e., User Equipment, UE, to a base station—using higher data rates, reduced latency, and improved system capacity. These enhancements were implemented through a new transport channel called the Enhanced Dedicated Channel (E-DCH). In Release 6, and continuing into Release 7, however, a mobile terminal may only use the E-DCH in limited circumstances.
Specifically, at the Radio Resource Control (RRC) level, a mobile terminal may be in two basic operation modes, called IDLE mode and CONNECTED mode. In IDLE mode, the mobile terminal requests an RRC connection before sending any uplink data or responding to a page. In CONNECTED mode, by contrast the mobile terminal has an RRC connection, and may be in one of several service states: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Radio Access Paging Channel (URA_PCH) state, a Cell Paging Channel (CELL_PCH) state, a Cell Forward Access Channel (CELL_FACH) state, and Cell Dedicated Channel (CELL_DCH) state. The URA_PCH and CELL_PCH states are paging states in which the mobile terminal sleeps and only occasionally wakes up to check for a page. To send uplink data, the mobile terminal must be moved to the CELL_FACH or CELL_DCH state. When moved to the CELL_FACH state in Releases 6 and 7, the mobile terminal may send a relatively small amount of uplink data over a contention-based transport channel called the Random Access Channel (RACH), but not over the E-DCH; to send data over the E-DCH, the mobile terminal had to be moved to the CELL_DCH state, which introduces a delay.
To reduce the delay caused by the state transition, Release 8 of the 3GPP standards allocates a portion of E-DCH resources as common resources, also called common E-DCH resources, that may be used on a contention-basis by mobile terminals in the CELL_FACH state. Accordingly, mobile terminals in the CELL_FACH state with a relatively large amount of uplink data may send that data over the E-DCH using the common E-DCH resources rather than having to make multiple accesses over the RACH or switch to the CELL_DCH state.
This however comes at a cost of increased downlink control signaling. Indeed, the base station now broadcasts system information to mobile terminals that informs them about which access request preambles may be used for requesting E-DCH access, and which E-DCH resources are available as common E-DCH resources. Among other disadvantages, this increased DL control signaling may delay the base station's signaling of more crucial system information.
For example, a base station often broadcasts system information in a series of so-called System Information Blocks (SIBs). Different types of system information are broadcasted in different types of SIBs, one after another in a time division manner. This process is repeated to continually provide system information to mobile terminals on an as-needed basis. Accordingly, any given large SIB delays broadcast of the entire series of SIBs, which in turn increases the time between which any given SIB is repeated, i.e., the SIB's repetition factor. If the SIB's repetition factor is excessively large for an SIB with crucial system information, there may be long periods of time in which a mobile terminal cannot be paged, send uplink data, perform a cell update, or perform a fallback to a circuit-switched network, also called CS fallback. This type of delays may be caused by the DL control signaling associated with Release 8 of the 3GPP standards resulting in a reduced performance of the wireless communication system.